Well, I'm not so sure that she has to be the fairest by definition. I think that Olympian goddesses may have comparable features (in fact, I can tell you, they do), but that Venus may be more of an expert in using them, you see, for pleasure (that, however, I know only by word of mouth). That's what makes the choice so hard.

But see the Merriam Webster first definition of "fair":

1 : pleasing to the eye or mind especially because of fresh, charming, or flawless quality

Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that, by voting, you will be alienating yourself from two powerful goddesses and damning yourself for life. But you're a classicist, so you probably had that in mind when you voted anyway.

Pete wrote:Well, I'm not so sure that she has to be the fairest by definition. I think Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that, by voting, you will be alienating yourself from two powerful goddesses and damning yourself for life. But you're a classicist, so you probably had that in mind when you voted anyway.

Yes, the thought had occurred to me. To scorn Hera would bring me death, to scorn Aphrodite would bring me unattractiveness and failure in love, to scorn Athena would perhaps make one inept? I guess that shows where my priorities are.

Last edited by benissimus on Tue Jun 01, 2004 3:25 am, edited 2 times in total.

I will also vote for Aphrodite, because she stands for all the beauty a woman could have And did not Paris vote for Aphrodite too, as he had to decide between Aphrodite, Athena and Hera who of them the most beautifull is ?
Yes, I will trust in the good taste of Paris concerning women !

copain wrote:I will also vote for Aphrodite, because she stands for all the beauty a woman could have And did not Paris vote for Aphrodite too, as he had to decide between Aphrodite, Athena and Hera who of them the most beautifull is ? Yes, I will trust in the good taste of Paris concerning women !

The problem with siding with Paris is that he was bribed into choosing Aphrodite. I wonder who Paris would have picked without the bribe? I vote for Athena....then again, I also don't want to make my namesake mad! Sheesh! Better to say they are all fairest in their own special way!

Aren't the goddesses allegorical? Isn't it really a contest between Sexual Pleasure, Wisdom and... (um... what exactly does Hera stand for here? Social Status?)

Wisdom gets my vote.

Correct me if I'm wrong but fair means pleasing to look at, right? Shouldn't by common sense the most pleasing Goddess to look at would be the most beautiful? And wouldn't the Goddess of Love and Beauty be the most beautiful? That would mean Aphrodite even without a bribe.

Hera spent her time torturing the demigods her husband loved to make with mortals, aphrodite was the joy and bain of all men with her double-edged looks. Aside from coming from a really bad headache Athena was actually civil as a goddess.

I vote Athena, because wisdom and military shrewdness are better than rampaging housewives and brazen hussies.

I'm still not sure why one could pick Athena here. The question is not who is the best goddess, its who is the fairest.

Fair: Of pleasing appearance, especially because of a pure or fresh quality; comely.

Clearly, fair does not mean who is the smartest, the most honest, etc. The questoin basically asks which goddess do you think is most beautiful. From reading a bit about mythology, I understand that the gods have this pure form that if a human were to view, he/she would die. Therefore the gods take a human or other image. Aphrodite is the goddess of beauty.

Beautiful: Having qualities that delight the senses, especially the sense of sight.

I think it would be logical that Aphrodite, being the goddess of beauty, would be the most beautiful and therefore the most fair.

Note: I'm using the right definition of fair right? Or is it on the basis of being consistent with rules, logic, or ethics?

Fairness doesn't refer only to physical beauty, as you can speak of the fairness of things which do not have physical appearance (speeches, ideas, and the like).

threewood14 wrote:The question basically asks which goddess do you think is most beautiful.

The question doesn't specify the definition of 'fairest' at all! We've all interpreted it as referring to beauty, but it could just as well be taken to mean who is the most just or even who is the palest...

The question doesn't specify the definition of 'fairest' at all! We've all interpreted it as referring to beauty, but it could just as well be taken to mean who is the most just or even who is the palest...

I agree. Maybe we should define fair. For if it is not suggesting only physical beauty, then I would pick Athena. If it were, then I would pick Aphrodite. From first reading it I took it as physical beauty hence my first choice.

I've never heard of these goddesses in my life! But then again I did not know what a taco was but a day ago. And Raya makes a good point. "fair" means just "good" in the ambiguous way of english too, but faire would mean pretty to look at.

Episcopus wrote::shock: I've never heard of these goddesses in my life! But then again I did not know what a taco was but a day ago. And Raya makes a good point. "fair" means just "good" in the ambiguous way of english too, but faire would mean pretty to look at.